Queen's Ford, built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and home to the noble Forde family for centuries, is crumbling into ruin. Devastated by the reduced circumstances in which he finds himself due to the outlandish spending of his late father, the current Lord Fordcombe simply cannot afford to repair it. With only a few loyal servants to serve the family, even the once beautiful gardens and stables are shabby and unkempt. In fact the Forde family, blue-blooded and aristocratic, who have entertained more than one English Monarch during their illustrious past, are now so poor that they struggle to find money for food. Driven beyond endurance and crushed by the monotony of poverty, Jeremy, the handsome twenty-one year old son of Lord Fordcombe decides that something desperate must be done. Artfully persuading his eldest sister, Mariota, to sacrifice her principles and go along with his daring plan, she joins him in holding up a coach masquerading as highwaymen. But as the usually honest and kind Mariota catches a glimpse of the terrified woman they are robbing, she knows that this is something she should never have allowed. About to call off Jeremy, who is wild-eyed with excitement and oblivious to the upset he is causing, she suddenly sees a gentleman taking aim with his gun behind her brother. In a split second she fires, blinded to the consequences of her actions through her love for her brother. As the dust settles on the lonely road she realises that the handsome Earl of Buckenham is injured and, eager to avoid the gallows, the subdued siblings bring him to their home to heal. Desperately sorry by the trouble they have caused, Mariota proceeds to nurse him better, praying for forgiveness and willing the Earl to improve. But the unforeseen dramas that arise from that one action alter the lives of everyone involved forever.

'A very good novel indeed about the fragility and also the tenacity of love' commented the "Spectator" about this 1953 novel by Dorothy Whipple, which was ignored fifty years ago because 'editors are going mad for action and passion' (as she was told by her publisher). But this last novel by a writer whose books had previously been bestsellers is outstandingly good by any standards. Apparently 'a fairly ordinary tale about the destruction of a happy marriage' (Nina Bawden in the Preface) yet 'it makes compulsive reading' in its description of an ordinary family ('Ellen was that unfashionable creature, a happy housewife') struck by disaster when the husband, in a moment of weak, mid-life vanity, runs off with a French girl.Dorothy Whipple is a superb stylist, with a calm intelligence in the tradition of Mrs Gaskell (both wrote in the "Midlands" and had similar preoccupations). 'The prose is simple, the psychology spot on' said the "Telegraph", and John Sandoe Books commented: 'We have all delighted in this unjustly forgotten novel; it is well written and compelling'.

Who was the mysterious Hector Lightfoot? What was he up to when he disappeared, and who were the two ghosts once seen in his house? School friends Jamie and Todd are destined to find out when they go to London to spend a weekend with Jamie's Uncle Simon, who now lives in that very house. Soon after they arrive, Jamie has a frightening encounter with the two ghosts. Hector, a veteran from the First Afghan War, joined a covert expedition to China, and afterwards worked on a secret Government project in an underground lab at the British Museum. He vanished suddenly, and was never heard from again. Simon takes the boys to the lab, where they find a strange contraption - which, unknown to any of them, is a time-travel device. When the building is struck by lightning, the device is energised, and sends the boys back in time to the year 1862. There, surrounded by danger and exposed to disease, they are sucked into a life of crime in order to survive. Only if they can find Hector will they have any chance of getting home again. But why has he gone into hiding? Who is the man after him and what does he want? As the boys struggle to escape back to their own time, Jamie becomes convinced that the two ghosts he saw earlier are following them...

The bombing of an American Embassy in Africa pulls Special Agent Jack Randall out of his current doghouse status with the FBI and sends him on the trail of one of the worlds most wanted terrorist. While sifting through the debris, his team discovers a mysterious shipment of medications. Medications they soon discover that are valuable enough to kill for. Jack is forced to embark on two missions, catching the terrorist responsible for the bombing and discovering the source of the medications. The trail leads him from the deserts of Africa, to the Centers for Disease Control, and on to the higher offices of the United States Government. As the team uncovers the true nature and purpose of the medications, Jack is faced with a decades old plot involving secret treaties, biological warfare, and deadly plagues.

A teenage girl is kidnapped in Mexico City as a young boy in Afghanistan is wounded by artillery fire. A plane crashes in Florida while a man waits for a new heart in Maryland. A senator's daughter survives a car accident while a captured drug runner makes a deal with the DEA. Soon all of their fates converge into a twisted web of deceit driven by greed, desperation and hope. As Jack Randall of the FBI and his friend Lenny Hill of Interpol work to untangle the web, they soon discover that evil exist everywhere, and its deeds can be forced on anyone.

This is the first book in a series of magical adventures with Hannah and her pony. When an unexpected visitor appears in the woods just beside the meadow on the farm where Hannah lives with Brandy, he asks for help , and all things change. Hannah and Brandy embark on a magical adventure where new friends come in all shapes and sizes, and their challenges are just beginning. Can they complete their quest to save the kingdom from destruction and defeat the Dragon King?

The death of her beloved father, has left artistic and idealistic Tempera and her stunning, scatterbrained stepmother Lady Rothley bereft not only of love but also of money. So when Lady Rothley's womanly wiles attract an invitation from none other than the Duke of Chevingham to join him in the South of France, it's a Godsend. At last ? the prospect of a handsome, aristocratic suitor for Tempera's Belle-m?re who would keep them both in the style to which they would dearly love to be re-acquainted To arrive without a lady's maid is inconceivable ? to afford one impossible. So Tempera escorts her Belle-m?re in the guise of a servant and attempts to coach her in fine art, the Duke's consuming passion. While her stepmother flirts with C?te D?Azur society Tempera contents herself with capturing the local flora's beauty on canvas. And when the flair she inherited from her father captivates and mystifies the magnificent Duke, something stirs in Tempera that she has never felt before. Is it love? Or is it betrayal?

The Scully family gain a new stepmother and stepsister. From the outset the stepsister is not accepted by the Scully children, because they can see she is nothing like them in appearance or personality. The Scullys are big, ugly and uncouth while Doreen is pretty, petite, intelligent and refined. To the Scullys, her most offensive trait, however, is her love of books, which she reads constantly, and they see it as confirmation of her snobbery. Their initial dislike of her turns into vicious hatred and they plot ways to be rid of her, which even includes murder. Her mother and stepfather realise there are problems, but not the true extent of the hatred and persecution Doreen faces and believe things will settle down and resolve themselves in time. Meanwhile Doreen endures endless bullying and suffering at the hands of the hateful Scully children, and daily the cruelty escalates, and continues even into her adult life as a very successful business woman. Eventually, when left with no other choice, the worm turns, which results in a decisive and horrific final showdown.

In 1942 a small child watches the swirling vapour trails of Spitfires and Messerschmitts battling in the summer skies as he stands in the fields outside his Hertfordshire village and thinks how far away from his world that conflict is. Thirty-four years later a man is woken from sleep in an affluent suburb of Auckland hearing the whooshing rush of air as a bomb goes off and blasts through the front of his family house. Even before the dust has cleared the man is reaching for a weapon and planning the demise of the person who arranged the bombing. How has the child from the peaceful English village become the target of a key figure in the Antipodean criminal underworld? Join adventurer, sailor, raconteur, con man, businessman and story teller Len Russell as he recounts the trials and tribulations of a life at sea and on land, at peace and at war, in times of poverty and great wealth, through hilarity and sadness as he makes his way from an English childhood through a life in New Zealand and Australia and finally back home to England.

When Don Stevens is asked at short notice to stage a pre-season summer show at the Golden Sands Theatre, Great Yarmouth in 1969 he pulls together variety acts he has worked with before, with one exception - the leading lady, June Ashby. Making up the company are 'Man of Magic' Mystic Brian, comedian Ted Ricer, the Jenny Benjamin Dancers, the Maurice Beeney Orchestra and fresh from Opportunity Knocks, the Dean Sisters, a mind-blowing balancing act. Lots of interest is aroused by the return of June Ashby to the stage. The locals are intrigued about why a West End leading lady should play an end-of-the-pier show after being absent from the theatre for five years. Will this be a new beginning for the once-loved star, or will her world come tumbling down - ? Has Don Stevens bitten off more than he can chew by going "twice nightly"? Will Maud Bennett at the box office ever finish her knitting? What secret is cleaner Lilly Brockett hiding? And will Freda and Muriel ever agree on what to give their paying guests? Intrigue, mystery and comedy abound; this is a story that will appeal to all those who love variety entertainment and have experienced a holiday in a British seaside resort.

It seems that anyone, with some assistance from TV chefs, can whip up a meal worthy of serving at the classiest highbrow "a la carte" restaurants. Wrong! Somewhere between TV "celebrity chefs" and "Come Dine With Me" lays a void for the ordinary person. Not So Perfect Cooking fills that void. The focus is on good wholesome meals for the working family, using fresh vegetables from the garden or allotment. The recipes are easy to follow with your own variations being encouraged. But that's not all! Alongside the recipes is a new kitchen experience, the "ABC" game, which focuses on fun in the kitchen. There are prepared examples and recommendations on new topics to play along with the family whilst waiting for the meals to be cooked.

A middle aged, middle-class couple are spending a holiday in Cornwall. The husband wakes on the beach after lunch to find his wife has disappeared. It is totally out of character and, for a while, he is puzzled but not too worried. This is the beginning of twenty-three days of torment and fear for him as he involves the police and tries to discover exactly what has happened to his staid, school mistress wife. It is also the beginning of twenty-three days for his wife, Jannah, as she flings her cap over a windmill and goes off to an uncertain future. Often, in later life, we all wonder about rekindling an old liaison, about opportunities missed, wrong roads taken and maybe reminisce about what would, or could, have been if we had done things differently. How has that special person fared? What are they doing now? Are they happy and content? Given the opportunity of a reunion, what would most of us do? Read on and see what Jannah did...

When Bob Gifford takes up a one-year appointment as counselor at elite Biltmore College, Minnesota, he has no idea his life will soon be in danger. Okay, the hostility from most of his colleagues is evident from the outset - as an orphan brought up in a boys' home, with degrees from obscure state colleges in Arkansas and Texas, he will never fit in to their privileged, blue-blood world. But it soon becomes obvious that workplace politics constitutes the least of his worries. One of his student clients dies in a car crash shortly after hinting that she has something to tell him about the recent, violent death of a professor on the Biltmore campus. Immediately afterwards, a home-made bomb explodes in Bob's apartment. Then he finds secret messages being left for him in the university library. Someone, or some organization, it appears, believes Bob is on the brink of uncovering a conspiracy. But what is it they think Bob knows? Who are they? And is he being encouraged to dig deeper or being warned off? Gradually he comes to realize he can trust no one - not the college staff, not his landlord, and not the police. It is even too risky to confide in Steve Washington, the flamboyant black colleague and fellow "outsider" who has been almost alone in offering Bob friendship, or Janet, the spirited Jewish woman with whom Bob has a tantalizing on-off relationship. And just when a new appointment in back-of-beyond Texas appears to offer an escape route, Bob comes closer than ever to death. City of Shadows combines the qualities of a superior thriller with a deep understanding of human nature and insights into the claustrophobic, competitive world of academe. With as many twists as a mountain road, and set-piece confrontations that would have made Hitchcock proud, it is as entertaining as it is compelling.

This is a story set in the huge slum clearance scheme in Nottingham (The Meadows) in the 1970s. Three very unlikely squatters: John Brown, a banker and Freddy Baldwin, a renowned musician, who both had wife troubles, although very different from each other. Then the most remarkable of them all: Annie, a child who had cared for her father, during his terminal illness (cancer) and who was then considered too young to be living alone in her own home. Afraid to be evicted, possibly into care, she appealed to her own sister, who had then turned her out, to face an unforgiving world, where rape and motherhood awaited. It is a story of deceit, unrequited love and, then, as the story evolves, just maybe a brighter future for them all.

The coming of age story of an award-winning translator, Homesick is about learning to love language in its many forms, healing through words and the promises and perils of empathy and sisterhood. Sisters Amy and Zoe grow up in Oklahoma where they are homeschooled for an unexpected reason: Zoe suffers from debilitating and mysterious seizures, spending her childhood in hospitals as she undergoes surgeries. Meanwhile, Amy flourishes intellectually, showing an innate ability to glean a world beyond the troubles in her home life, exploring that world through languages first. Amy's first love appears in the form of her Russian tutor Sasha, but when she enters university at the age of 15 her life changes drastically and with tragic results. "Croft moves quickly between powerful scenes that made me think about my own sisters. I love how the language displays a child's consciousness. A haunting accomplishment." Kali Fajardo-Anstine

If Fiona was surprised when she inherited Claymore Hall she was even more surprised to find that she had two sitting tenants in the form of mother and son. Yet upon meeting Bertha Carpenter she wondered whether she should have followed her partner's advice and sold the place, but then Clive's eyes had registered like a cash machine at the time. Not that he was prepared to give up his quest however but by this time other characters had appeared on the scene; the man in charge of plotting a route for pylons to serve the National Grid; a secretive character by the name of James Fuller and not least William Carpenter himself who apparently had interests of his own! Thus perhaps the scene was now set for even more sinister happenings destined to disturb the peace of the tranquil Scottish countryside beset now with gold mining rumours. Events that followed forced Fiona into becoming involved as well as falling in love quite unexpectedly!

Baxter Bixley (Two Xs if you please) wins 16 million pounds on the National Lottery. So begins the transition from shop sweeper to multi-millionaire. Not only that but Baxter, unwanted and friendless, finds true companionship in the shape of an aged and diminutive pensioner called Hugo Harper. Together they share a series of adventures that stretch from his end-of-terrace house in Neasden to Venice, Milan and Monte-Carlo. Hugo and Baxter meet many people on their travels including such illustrious names as Lana Turner, Rex Harrison and Alfred Hitchcock. Jane Eyre and James Cagney together with a baby called Dolores and another baby called David Copperfield join in en route as does a fluffy dog aptly named Fluffy. Ava Gardner and The Queen have walk on parts as does Roy Rogers and Tony Blair. It could be true. But I doubt it!

Sir Hereward Grantley is angry, as usual. A bad tempered man with little to commend him, he is determined that his niece, the orphaned Diona, will understand the great favour he has done by offering her a home. Never missing an opportunity to mention Diona's penniless status and dependency, her uncle is an arrogant bully. Diona, aghast at being thrust into a world of unkindness and bullish behaviour after the love in her parent's home, mourns their loss and clings to the last thing that her popular, horse-loving papa gave her beloved Dalmatian, Sirius. But no misdemeanor is safe from the mean attentions of Sir Grantley, especially when his sly son Simon is there to pour fuel onto the fire. So when Sirius accidently breaks an ornament, Simon sees his opportunity to avenge Diona for rejecting his fumbled attempts to grab a kiss, by telling his father that the dog is a menace and should be shot. Traumatised at the thought of losing her dog, Diona decides that she can no longer take the misery of Grantley Hall and flees. Scared, but certain that fate is guiding her to safety she seeks refuge with the handsome Marquis of Irchester. A confirmed bachelor and friend of the Prince of Wales, the Marquis has become used to a life of pleasure amongst the Beau Monde following the privations of the war in which he distinguished himself. A prized catch amongst Society debutantes and wealthy widows alike, he has so far managed to evade being trapped, whilst enjoying the companionship of some of the most beautiful women in London. But when touchingly innocent, educated and ethereal Diona begs him for a job, she provokes protective feelings in the Marquis that he didn't realise he had. Accepting her wish to remain anonymous, he admires her determination to save her beloved dog, and swears to prevent anyone harming her or Sirius. But can Diona remain anonymous once her uncle starts looking for her? And just how far will the Marquis go to protect a girl he doesn't know? As fate throws Diona an unexpected wild card the pressure is on and faith, loyalty and true love will all be tested to the ultimate limits.

Eviscerated Panda are a newly formed thrash metal band. They are the brainchild of ageing lead guitarist Phil Winter. They represent his big hope for regaining his former musical self-esteem and his luck with the ladies. Phil had to hastily exit stage left from his last band when his dalliances with the drummer's fiancee were discovered. Young singer and underachiever Nick loves the band because it provides an escape from his dull job in a supermarket. For rhythm guitarist Ian it's all he's ever wanted to do. For bass player Jim it's a pleasant hobby, at least to begin with. For drummer Paul it's a step up from being in a covers band and a sometime causer of arguments between him and his wife. A band is much more than just the musicians in it, it's a whole ecosystem. A female perspective is given by close friends Cleo and Jenni as the Pandas play to and hang out with an audience comprised of friends, fans, wives, girlfriends, future girlfriends, lovers, promoters, other bands, interested spectators and uninterested spectators. After a nervous first gig in their native Reading they play in Swindon, Coventry, Oxford, Dudley, Brighton, Birmingham and Camden. In between gigs they mostly go to the pub, eat biscuits, record an E.P, read a girl's guide to heavy metal written by Cleo, practice and make grandiose plans for their future. Occasionally they get laid. Even more occasionally they get paid to play. This is a niche novel and proud of it. If you like heavy metal and reading books which are not designed for education nor enlightenment then this is for you.

Makepiece Ploughman is of the ninth generation on original warranted land in Maryland granted to the 17th Century immigrant Ploughman family. In 1943, he is a colonel in the US Army Air Corps, working an intelligence desk assigned to understand Hitler's advanced weapons programme. Under Presidential decree, he is given command of a reconnaissance aircraft group to operate from an airfield in Kent, England, which is subject to unremitting enemy threat. Where once stood the family residential hall, there now stands an Anglo-American facility which contains Colonel Ploughman's top secret buried headquarters. On one of his infrequent days of relaxation, Makepiece seeks out family history records in the country archives only to discover that he is not the only researcher with an interest in a folio of 350 year old papers written by his eleven greats grandmother. The folder in the Maidstone archive contains a transcription of 1659 original land warrant, And war has taken the colonel a long way from the comforts of home...This is the fifth novel in the Warranted Land Saga.

Kevin, a boy with a bad reputation and a troubled home life tries to make a fresh start at a new school. He soon discovers a love of cricket, and he does well for the school team. But can Kevin keep it all together when things take a turn for the worse at home, and when bad influences from his past turn up once more? Can Kevin get himself back into the school team in order to help them win the final of the cricket tournament?

The sun dipped behind a cloud and made a mirror of his computer screen. He saw a pair of eyes, his eyes. But they were elongated, angled and a deep, angry red...Thame is, on the surface, an average guy. Suffocated by the politics of his city job and his increasingly complicated love life, he seeks refuge in his weekend football and the hope that there is, somewhere, something more for him. He has always felt that underneath he is special; destined for greatness. As his world becomes darker and his frustrations grow, this sense of difference grows more powerful. Daydreams are no longer idle fantasy but visions of a dark history; his reflection in the bathroom mirror is no longer quite...human. What beast lurks beneath the man? Why is he being watched? And what terrible consequences accompany the fulfilment of his ancient destiny?